Sunday, 31 August 2014

In this set of chapters, Zexal continues
to raise the stakes and be absolutely ludicrous. The plot seems to be barreling
towards a climax with nothing less than the fate of the world on the line. I
could practically hear the violin playing in my head during the melodramatic
reveals.

The series has entered the realm
of “so bad it’s good” a feat not easily achieved. With over-the-top execution
of the rather mundane concept of the previous incarnations that spun out of the
original Yu-gi-oh!— Zexal is at the very least enjoyable each month. That being
said the quality of the series has slipped from bad to downright awful. In
conclusion this chunk of the series is enjoyably bad for those who enjoy such
fare. Grab the popcorn and read the soapy goodness!

From Viz Manga: “Nothing about
Saitama passes the eyeball test when it comes to superheroes, from his lifeless
expression to his bald head to his unimpressive physique. However, this
average-looking guy has a not-so-average problem—he just can’t seem to find an
opponent strong enough to take on! Every time a promising villain appears, he
beats the snot out of ’em with one punch! Can Saitama finally find an opponent
who can go toe-to-toe with him and give his life some meaning? Or is he doomed
to a life of superpowered boredom?”

As far as superhero parodies go,
One-Punch Man is well done. The artwork is well drawn and the comic is just
genuinely funny. One problem I have with the series is its portrayal of gay men though which is just downright offensive and
uncomfortable. The action scenes are slick though with the series doing some
interesting things with the comic medium.

Narrative wise there is little to
say, the characters are not terribly well developed, often being rather one
note, though this is a parody so I suppose that is to be expected. The series
follows a formulaic structure with each clash being more escalated than the
last. In conclusion, One-Punch Man is decent though flawed work. It has its
moments of brilliance though and manages to be entertaining, so make of that
what you will.

Seraph of the End Chapters 1-24 Story of Takaya Kagami, Art
by Yamato Yamamoto Review

From Viz Manga: “After trumpets
of the apocalypse proclaim the fall of humanity, vampires arise from the
shadows to rule the earth. Yuichiro wants just one thing—to get revenge by
killing each and every vampire.”

Serialized in Jump Square in
Japan and Weekly Shonen Jump in North America, Seraph is on the darker side of
boys’ comics. The cast, even the antagonists, are at the very least compelling.
The artwork is done well and the story flows quite nicely if a touch on the
slow side. The world itself is compelling enough. The main source of tension,
as well as what propels the comic forward, throughout the series thus far seems
to be the relationship between Yuichiro and his childhood friend.

That being said the title is largely forgettable. Yuichiro is a rather standard shonen comic lead, charging forward without thinking yet sticking to his morals. The villains are far more compelling though they are not scene for large swaths of pages. The supporting cast is likewise interesting though they take a bit of back seat in the series. In conclusion, the series is rather standard for boys’ comics if on one of the higher rungs on the ladder in terms of quality.

From Viz Manga: “Raised by Father
Fujimoto, a famous exorcist, Rin Okumura never knew his real father. One day a
fateful argument with Father Fujimoto forces Rin to face a terrible truth—the
blood of the demon lord Satan runs in Rin’s veins! Rin swears to defeat Satan,
but doing that means entering the mysterious True Cross Academy and becoming an
exorcist himself. Can Rin fight demons and keep his infernal bloodline a
secret? It won't be easy, especially when drawing his father’s sword releases
the demonic power within him!”

Despite the rather standard
set-up, Blue Exorcist is rather well crafted. It boasts gorgeous artwork leaps
and bounds better than many of its peers. The world itself is rather neat and
the majority of the core cast is sympathetic. That being the case, antagonists
are often more cartoonish than threatening even considering the medium.

The majority of the cast has had
a character arc thus far with bits of character development strewn throughout.
Not mistakes should be made though: this is still very much a standard shonen
action series. I have yet to watch the animated television adaption but as of
writing have heard mixed reviews of it. In conclusion, Blue Exorcist is a fun
if standard shonen fare, while there are better works in the field of Japanese
comics this will hold one’s attention should they choose to read it.

From Viz Manga: “It was hate at
first sight... rather a knee-to-the-head at first sight when Raku Ichijo meets
Chitoge Kirisaki! Unfortunately, Raku’s gangster father arranges a false love
match with their rival’s daughter, who just so happens to be Chitoge! However,
Raku’s searching for his childhood sweetheart from ten years ago, with a
pendant around his neck as a memento, and he can't even remember her name or
face!”

Serialized
in Weekly Shonen Jump, Nisekoi is comedy wise a great series. The art is well
done perhaps more than it has any right being. That being said, narrative wise
it is (at least thus far) yet another in a very long line of harem manga. The
only other notable aspect of the series is the absence of fan service in many
chapters.

Nisekoi
especially in more recent chapters has cast aside things like plot in favour of
mindless comedy. To be fair, said comedy is done rather effectively. Quality
wise the episodic plots vary wildly. The characters are rather one note with the
protagonist in particular being rather bland. In conclusion, Nisekoi is largely
forgettable and at times uncomfortable. Skip it.

Between saving the world and
going to school Pac-man’s life is rather busy. One the day the worst tragedy to
ever befall humankind strikes: Pac-man has a zit and picture day’s tomorrow!
How will Pac-man ever survive this crisis!?

If this episode is representative
of the show as a whole then god help us all. It’s bad enough that they took an
iconic character and gave him one of the most generic shows to come out of the
woodworks in years. The jokes fall flat 9 out of 10 times and the “villains”
are so non-threatening they don’t even deserve the name (their big plot is to
make Pac-man feel bad… how this benefits them in any way alludes me).

The show is devoid of any tension
it’s trying so hard to be inoffensive. If I could say one positive the CG looks
halfway decent at least. That being said content wise nothing sets it apart
from any other kids’ show. In conclusion this episode of Pac-man and the
Ghostly Adventures was just painful to watch, it certainly isn’t the worst
thing I’ve ever seen but goshdarnit if it doesn’t come close.

The Nightmare Before Christmas Directed by Henry Selick,
Produced by Skellington Productions Review

From IMDB: “Jack Skellington,
king of Halloweentown, discovers Christmas Town, but doesn't quite understand
the concept.”

Quite
possibly the darkest Christmas film I’ve come across to date, The Nightmare
Before Christmas has many things going for it. Its protagonist is rather
likeable in an odd way and it is rounded out by a colorful cast of characters.
Animation wise it is nice to look at and it boasts fantastic musical numbers.

The
voice acting is quite well done as is the singing. Honestly, my only complaint
is the portrayal of humanity who I believe we are meant to sympathize with. Humanity in this film strikes me as awful as a
collective and the viewer is given little time to see their perspective to gain
a better understanding of why they do what they do in the film. That being
said, this is more a nitpick than anything else. The film as a whole was very
well done and well worth recommending!

When Osamu meets Yuma for the
first time they don’t realize the conflicts yet to unfold or really who the
other even is. As the war between humanity and aliens, referred to as neighbors,
unfolds how will events play out? Can Yuma even be trusted? Soon the two will
find themselves embroiled in a web of secrets and a war of epic proportions.

Serialized in the boys’ anthology
Weekly Shonen Jump in Japan, World Trigger has a cast of thousands and this can
be detrimental at times. This does not become a problem until later chapters
though. Earlier chapters feature introducing the core players in the plot.
However, this means that thus far character development for many people has
been limited at best. Currently it is
probably one of the better manga being serialized in the English version of
Weekly Shonen Jump. The world itself is rather dark and fascinating.

Another core character, who is
not introduced for a few chapters, is Chika who becomes one of the driving
forces for the series. It’s clear the series has a grand story to tell and has
already started going in compelling directions. The plot begins to become more
gradual in the latter half of this set of chapters with the recent arc running
for roughly half a year to date. In conclusion, World Trigger is a rather
interesting series and worth a read if one is a fan of science fiction.

Wednesday, 27 August 2014

HELLO KITTY®SHOWS ANYTHING IS POSSIBLE IF ONE JUST IMAGINES
IN ORIGINAL GRAPHIC NOVEL RELEASE FROM PERFECT SQUARE

Creativity
And Friendship Combine In New All Ages Release HELLO KITTY: JUST IMAGINE

San Francisco, CA, August
26, 2014 –
VIZ Media, LLC (VIZ Media), the largest distributor and licensor of anime and
manga in North America, invites readers of all ages to tap their creative sides
for some whimsical new graphic novel adventures with the release of HELLO
KITTY: JUST IMAGINE, available now.

HELLO
KITTY: JUST IMAGINE is published under the Perfect Square imprint and expands
the line of full-color HELLO KITTY® original graphic novels
inspired by the global pop icon. JUST IMAGINE brings back the talented team of
HELLO KITTY artists including Jacob Chabot, Ian McGinty and Jorge Monlongo, and
introduces artist Giovanni Castro and special guest artist Sarah Goodreau.
HELLO KITTY: JUST IMAGINE is rated ‘A’ for All Ages and will carry an MSRP of
$7.99 U.S. / $9.99 CAN.

Anything is possible if
you just imagine...

Hello
Kitty and her friends are letting their imaginations run wild – dreaming up
rainy day adventures, inventing amazing machines and solving problems in the
most inventive ways. When creativity and friendship combine, the possibilities
are endless!

“As
Hello Kitty marks her 40th anniversary she's as popular as ever, keeping up
with the maker movement in HELLO KITTY: JUST IMAGINE," says Traci Todd,
Senior Editor, Children's Publishing. “We hope the young and young at heart
will enjoy these new stories and discover their own spirits of creativity and
inspiration as well.”

Created by Sanrio, Hello Kitty® is a true
lifestyle brand that enjoys tremendous international popularity. In North
America, and throughout the world, Hello Kitty is a leading brand that is loved
by fans of all ages. The pop icon has more than 14 million followers on Facebook.

HELLO KITTY artist Jacob Chabot is a prolific New
York City-based cartoonist, illustrator and writer. His comics have
appeared in publications such as Nickelodeon
Magazine, Mad Magazine, SpongeBob SquarePants comics, and
various Marvel titles. He also illustrated HELLO KITTY editions including
HERE WE GO!, DELICIOUS! and SURPRISE!, as well as Voltron Force: Shelter from the Storm and Voltron Force: True Colors for Perfect
Square. His comic series, The Mighty
Skullboy Army, is published by Dark Horse, and in 2008 Chabot was also
nominated for an Eisner Award for Best Book for Teens.

Book and comic illustrator and game
designer Jorge
Monlongo hails from Spain and combines
traditional and digital techniques to create worlds in beautiful colors that
hide secrets. JUST IMAGINE… is his latest
HELLO KITTY title for VIZ Media/Perfect Square and his work has also been
featured in several prominent magazines, including Rolling Stone.

Artist Giovanni Castro was born in Colombia,
studied art there, and now lives and works in Barcelona, Spain. He works mainly
in editorial illustration and comics. Castro has worked with traditional media,
but nowadays he does his illustrations digitally. He loves science fiction and
historical themes and is interested in history, art and languages.

HELLO KITTY guest artist Sarah Goodreau was
born and raised in Massachusetts. Pursuing a lifetime interest in art, she
traveled south to study at the Savannah College of Art and Design. Afterwards
she spent three years as an illustrator in New York City until moving to
Amsterdam where she currently resides.

VIZ Media’s Perfect Square imprint focuses on
delivering original comics, manga (graphic novels) and other children’s books
with an emphasis on strong storytelling, eye-popping graphics, empowering
themes, and a dash of irreverence, that captures the imagination of a whole
new generation.

For more information on other manga titles from VIZ
Media, please visit www.VIZ.com.

About Sanrio®

Sanrio is the global lifestyle brand best known for
pop icon Hello Kitty®, who celebrates her 40th
Anniversary this year with a museum exhibition and Hello Kitty Con 2014,
the first ever Hello Kitty
convention. Home to many endearing
characters including Chococat®My Melody®,
Badtz-Maru® and Keroppi®, Sanrio was
founded on the ‘small gift, big smile®’ philosophy – that a small gift can bring happiness and
friendship to people of all ages. Since 1960, this philosophy has served as the
inspiration for the broad spectrum of unique products and experiences. Today,
more than 50,000 Sanrio-branded items are available in over 130 countries and
upwards of 15,000 U.S. retail locations including department, specialty, national
chain stores and over 80 Sanrio boutiques. For more information please visit www.sanrio.com and www.facebook.com/hellokitty

About
VIZ Media, LLC

Headquartered in San Francisco,
California, VIZ Media distributes, markets and licenses the best anime and
manga titles direct from Japan. Owned by
three of Japan's largest manga and animation companies, Shueisha Inc.,
Shogakukan Inc., and Shogakukan-Shueisha Productions, Co., Ltd., VIZ Media has
the most extensive library of anime and manga for English speaking audiences in
North America, the United Kingdom, Ireland, Australia, New Zealand and South
Africa. With its popular digital manga anthology WEEKLY SHONEN JUMP and blockbuster
properties like NARUTO, BLEACH and INUYASHA, VIZ Media offers cutting-edge
action, romance and family friendly properties for anime, manga, science
fiction and fantasy fans of all ages.
VIZ Media properties are available as graphic novels, DVDs, animated
television series, feature films, downloadable and streaming video and a
variety of consumer products. Learn more
about VIZ Media, anime and manga at www.VIZ.com.

An Otaku Vampire Obsessed With The Human World
Falls For a Pretty Girl That Becomes A Ghost; 10-Episode Anime Series Also Features
Talented English Dub Cast

San
Francisco, CA, August 25, 2014 – VIZ Media, LLC (VIZ Media),
the largest distributor and licensor of manga and anime in North America, gives
fans and viewers the opportunity to add BLOOD LAD to their personal home media collections
as it announces the release of the complete anime series as a special Limited
Edition Blu-ray/DVD combo pack, and also as a Standard Edition DVD set, on
September 2nd. VIZ
Media is the exclusive North American master licensor for the BLOOD LAD anime
property.

The
10-episode paranormal action comedy about a nerdy vampire that is obsessed with
the human word is rated ‘TV-14’ and will be offered as a Limited
Edition Blu-ray/DVD combo pack with an MSRP of $69.99 U.S. / $89.99 CAN. The special
set comes packaged in a full-color chipboard box featuring 4 discs containing
the entire series as well as the BLOOD LAD “BLOOD
LAD-EX” OVA short film and a 96 page premium art booklet featuring episode guides,
art, interviews and more. Other combo pack bonus features include an
interactive art gallery, nearly a half-hour of English
dub session outtakes, an Anime Central convention chalk art video along with
series trailers and clean opening and ending segments.

The Standard Edition 2-disc DVD set for BLOOD LAD features
the complete series and OVA film and will be offered at an MSRP $44.82 U.S. /
$43.24 CAN. The Blu-ray/DVD combo pack and standard DVD set both feature English
dubbed and original Japanese stereo audio selections (with English Subtitles).

The
Demon World: a place where it's good to be bad. Werewolves, zombies, and even
the Abominable Snowman fight day and night for the title of Territory Boss. The
vampire Staz, however, finds the whole thing to be a serious pain. He spends
his time watching anime, playing video games, and daydreaming about going to
the Human World. That all changes when he meets Fuyumi, a human girl who
instantly wins Staz's heart but subsequently loses her life to a man-eating
plant. Staz refuses to give up on the girl of his dreams and travels across the
Demon and Human Worlds in search of a way to bring Fuyumi back to life by any
bloody means necessary.

The
English dub cast for BLOOD LAD notably stars Bryce Papenbrook as Staz and
Xanthe Huynh as Fuyumi and also features talented voice actors such as Johnny
Yong Bosch, Kyle Hebert, Cristina Vee and Wendee Lee in key supporting roles.

“BLOOD
LAD was adapted
from Yuki Kodama's bestselling manga series and offers a hilarious, action
packed story featuring plenty of adventure and laughable situations, and fans
won’t want to miss the chance to own the complete series as a special Limited
Edition Blu-ray/DVD combo pack,” says Charlene Ingram, Senior Animation
Marketing Manager. “The combo pack also features a wealth of entertaining bonus
material including the BLOOD LAD OVA which picks up right after the series’ final episode
and follows Staz and Fuyumi as they journey to the Demon Acropolis.
Don’t miss this special release coming next month!”

For
more information on BLOOD LAD, or other award-winning anime titles from VIZ Media,
please visit www.VIZ.com.

About
VIZ Media, LLC

Headquartered in San Francisco, California, VIZ Media distributes,
markets and licenses the best anime and manga titles direct from Japan. Owned by three of Japan's largest manga and
animation companies, Shueisha Inc., Shogakukan Inc., and Shogakukan-Shueisha
Productions, Co., Ltd., VIZ Media has the most extensive library of anime and
manga for English speaking audiences in North America, the United Kingdom,
Ireland and South Africa. With its popular digital manga anthology WEEKLY SHONEN
JUMP and blockbuster properties like NARUTO, BLEACH and INUYASHA, VIZ Media
offers cutting-edge action, romance and family friendly properties for anime,
manga, science fiction and fantasy fans of all ages. VIZ Media properties are available as graphic
novels, DVDs, animated television series, feature films, downloadable and
streaming video and a variety of consumer products. Learn more about VIZ Media, anime and manga at
www.VIZ.com.